Debarking nozzle



Jan. 24, 19611 L. R. FOREMAN DEBARKING NOZZL 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Nov.18, 1958 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent DEBARKIN G NOZZLE LemuelRoscoe Foreman, 310 W. Main St., Elizabeth City, N-C.

Filed Nov. 18, 1958, Ser. No. 774,668

3 Claims. (Cl. 23959'7) This invention relates to nozzles for projectinghigh pressure water jets of controlled form and dimensions against logsto remove and fragmentize the bark and phloem adhering thereto, so thatthe logs are stripped clean and are ready for immediate sawing intolumber without further processing.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my abandoned applicationSerial No. 644,128 filed March 5, 1957,

supported horizontally on a traveling carriage which reciprocates underthe jet, the carriage having sets of corrugated wheels which are rotatedto turn the log on its longitudinal axis as the carriage travels beneaththe jet. The jet rips the bark off the log by a sort of spiral chiselingaction, and disintegrates the bark. The debarked and cleaned log isthrown off the carriage and conveyed immediately to the sawing station.The jet of water must not only have the proper shape and necessaryenergy:

it must strike the log at the right spot and at the correct 9 angle toperform its work efficiently; hence to adjust its position to logs ofvarious diameters, the operator, before debarking begins, moves the jetboth verticaly and laterally, if necessary, relative to the log. Thisadjustment of the jet is claimed in the patent referred to.

Objects of my invention are to provide a nozzle of the characterindicated which will project a flat fanshaped jet of water under highpressure (1400-1500 p.s.i.) against the log to have the chiseling actionreferred to above; to provide a nozzle which will give long service whensubjected to high pressure; to provide a nozzle whose water jet may haveany desired length (the dimension lengthwise of the log), being limitedonly by the water pressure that is available; and to provide a nozzlewhich when worn by erosion to the extent that it is no longer efiicient,may be readily serviced by a simple machining operation to restore itsinitial efficiency. Another o bject is to provide a nozzle which isinexpensive to manufacture and easy to assemble and disassemble. Afurther object is to provide a nozzle which will confine the highpressure water to the nozzle channel without packing yet with noleakage, hence no loss of power or water. Other objects will beunderstood from the fol lowing description of the preferred embodimentof the invention which has been in successful commercial operation.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,

Fig. l is a bottom plan view of the nozzle, the jet aperture of which isshown exaggerated in width to make it visible on the scale of thedrawing, showing also a portion of the header for supplying water underhigh pres sure to the nozzle;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the nozzle blocks shown separatedfrom the complementary nozzle block, only part of which is illustrated;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the central zone of thenozzle shownin Figure 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail in vertical cross section, on an enlarged scale,showing the shape of the walls of the jet aperture, whose width isexaggerated for clearness; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic elevation showing the debarking machine of myPatent No. 2,800,155 but showing the nozzle in approximately the correctposition for debarking a log.

The nozzle of my invention employs two massive alloy steel blocks eachpreferably about 16 in. long, 4 in. wide and 2 in. thick, so shaped thatwhen laid together their abutted edges provide a jet aperture in. wideand 11 in. long, or longer if desired. To provide the necessary volumeof water at a pressure of 1400-1500 p.s.i., I use two motordrivenbooster pumps in tandem, requiring 800 H.P., the general arrangementbeing shown in Fig. 6 and more fully in my patent referred to above. Ajet of this shape and power will tear or split the logs if they are notproperly moved during the dcbarking operation.

Referring to Figs. l-4, two nozzle blocks 11 and 12 are shown, but asthey are substantially identical, being mirror images of each other, adetailed description of one will sufiice for both. Block 11 has fourbolt holes 13, 14, 15 and 16 extending through it from top to bottom,each bolt hole being preferably 1% in. in diameter. Through these holesfour 1% in. studs 17, 18, 19 and 20 respectively are passed to securethe heavy blocks rigidly but adjustably upon a massive nozzle body 21,which is rigidly mounted as by welding upon a header 22 com nected tothe high pressure water supply mentioned above. Header 22 has a port 23on its underside, and body 21 has an inlet port 24 registering with theheader port 23. A delivery chamber 25 is formed in body 21 and receivesthe discharge of port 24 and has the same 'length as the aperture A fromwhich the jet issues. Body 21 further has a pair of integral downwardlyextending flanges 26, 27 between which the nozzle blocks 11, 12 arepositioned when bolted to the body 21.

The nozzle blocks are in direct contact with each other only at theirabutted surfaces 28, 29, which are rectangular plane finished surfaceslocated at the opposite ends of each block, and extending verticallywhen the blocks are in place. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the aperture Aextends between abutted surfaces 28, 29 and is straight throughout itslength. Sloping or beveled surfaces 30, 31 are provided-on the facingedges of blocks 11, 12 respectively, and the two opposed surfaces 30, 31together provide a narrowing passageway for flow of water from thedelivery chamber 25 to aperture A. The aperture is formed principally bytwo opposed vertically curvilinear surfaces 32, 33 on blocks 11, 12respectively. The narrowest part of the aperture is spaced about in. infrom the lower faces of the blocks, as Fig. 5 illustrates. Thisnarrowest part is in. wide at the start of an operation.

When erosion from the high pressure water has worn away the walls 32, 33to the extent that aperture A has a width of in., the efiiciency of thejet is so diminished that usually the nozzle will be removed forreconditioniug. According to my invention as claimed in divisionalapplication Serial No. 834,869 filed August 19, 1959, reconditioning isaccomplished in a unique manner by grinding the surfaces 29, 30 of bothblocks and also the aperture walls 32, 33 sufficiently to restore theoriginal V in. width of the aperture at its narrowest point. A pluralityof adjustment screws 34-37 are tapped through flange 26 and hear attheir inner ends against block 11, thrusting it against block 12 withsufiicient force to substantially seal the contacting plane surfaces 28,29, no packing being used. Even after many reconditioning operations,the adjustment screws 3437 will hold the reground nozzle blocks togetherin sealed relation, without packing. Shims 38 (Fig. 4) may be used withscrews 34-37 if desired, being inserted between flange 27 and block 12,to position the aperture centrally relative to the delivery chamber 25.The bolt holes 13-16, being larger than the studs 17-20, permit somerelative movement of the blocks for adjustment of their positions; orthe bolt holes may be elongated for a wider latitude of adjustment.

In a commercial installation, one of the described nozzles with aneleven inch jet at about 1400 psi. (average) has debarked yellow pinelogs, many of which were as small as 8 in. to 12 in. in diameter, toyield an average of 12,000 board feet of lumber per hour. The bark isnot only cut off the log by the chiseling action of the fiat jet: it islifted and tossed many feet and fragmentized, so that it may be conveyedimmediately to a furnace or boiler. Also the powerful jet cleans thebark and the log, flushing away all dirt, grit or stones embedded in thebark and yielding a clean log which is safely delivered to the saw.Other debarking jets sometimes drive the grit into the bark and surfaceof the log, and also excessively wet the bark, which my jet cannot dobecause of the very short period of time the water is in contact withthe bark. The nozzle of my invention can be removed when worn by erosionand replaced by a new or serviced nozzle within 20 to 25 minutes, whichis a great advantage for a busy mill. A further and most importantadvantage of my installation is that it delivers substantially full pumppressure at the point of discharge (the nozzle aperture). This is nottrue of other debarking installations known to me.

I am well aware of such patents as No. 532,085 to Murray and Welch,dated Jan. 8, 1895, on a Die or Mold for Making Clay Shingles; No.2,019,119 to Crane and Fields, dated Oct. 29, 1935, on ExtrusionApparatus (for cellulose derivatives or similar plastics); and No.2,061,- 042 to Parkhurst dated Nov. 17, 1936, on a Machine for ExtrudingPlastic Materials (such as cellulose esters). Not one of these patentedmachines could possibly be used as a nozzle for debarking logs, norcould the hereindescribed nozzle be used for making the clay andplastics extrusions mentioned in the patent specifications. I thereforebelieve I am fairly entitled to the subjoined claims and solicit apatent containing the same on the basis of the foregoing specification;it being understood that the specification discloses merely one of anumber of constructions which may be comprehended within the scope ofsaid claims.

What I claim is:

1. A hydraulic nozzle for debarking logs adapted to be used with watersupplied under pressures of 1400- 1500 pounds per square inch comprisinga massive body having an inlet port adapted to be coupled to the watersupply and a delivery chamber formed therein to receive all the waterfrom the inlet port; a pair of heavy metal nozzle blocks abutted againsteach other and sealed at their abutted surfaces; means rigidly fixingsaid nozzle blocks upon said body; said nozzle blocks having opposedelongated surfaces together providing the principal walls of awater-discharging aperture which receives the high pressure waterdirectly from said delivery chamber; said aperture having a width atvits narrowest point of between about in. andabo'ut in. and sad narrowestpart of the aperture being spaced about A in. in from the lower facesof; the, blocks, the aperture below said narrowest part being bounded bycurvilinear; and separating surfaces on the two blocks, said aperturebeing straight throughout its length and forming a fiat fanshaped jet ofwater capable of acting as a chisel to remove the bark and phloem anddisintegrate the same.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the nozzle blocks are eachfurther provided with a sloping surface extending from the inner surfaceof the block to the aperture surface formed thereon, the two slopingsurfaces together providing two opposed walls of a constantly narrowingpassageway leading from said delivery chamber to said aperture.

3. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the nozzle body has twointegral parallel depending flanges between which the nozzle blocks liewhen secured to the nozzle body; adjustment screws being tapped throughone of said flanges and bearing'at their inner ends against the adjacentnozzle block and thrusting it against the other nozzle block, the othernozzle block transmitting said thrust to the other flange; the boltholes being sufficiently large to permit a lateral positioning of thenozzle blocks between the two flanges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS532,085 Murray et al. Jan. 8, 1895 1,033,195 Robinson July 23, 19121,276,245 Millard et a1. Aug. 20, 1918 1,511,118 Fiduccia Oct. 7, 19241,829,878 Sims et al. Nov. 3, 1931 2,019,119 Crane et a1. Oct. 29, 19352,061,042 Parkhurst Nov. 17, 1936 2,312,028 Clausing Feb. 23, 19432,410,888 LucyL, Nov. 12, 1946 2,587,473 Holveck et al; Feb. 26, 19522,765,198 Briggs, et a1. Oct. 2, 1956

